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Seeing a woman riding towards me in a World Champs jersey, thinking Oh
dear there’s gonna be a lot of wannabes out riding today - and then
realizing it was Marriane VosHa, awesome :-)
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Only negatives were the racing wannabes on full race set ups<
Not sure if this term has made it here, but on a football forum we call any noob who turns up to matches in full kit an FKW or full kit w@nker.
BareNecessities
Shoosh
@Eagle_Glenn
A day of firsts (although I’ve been a club cyclist for 35years +)….
• Entering a Sportive
• Eating porridge at 0400hrs (I can get up OK at this time but wouldn’t contemplate eating)
• Driving into Leytonstone from home near Cambridge and easily finding an unrestricted parking spot
• Riding down Grove Green Road (well the first time in 30-odd years)
• Seeing a woman riding towards me in a World Champs jersey, thinking Oh dear there’s gonna be a lot of wannabes out riding today - and then realizing it was Marriane Vos
• Lining up for our start (0640) and then having Laura Trott, Vos, Sarah Storey etc get in ahead of our group – gave some of the faster riders in our group something to chase down
• Riding the wrong way down carriageways, through red lights (I’ve had a very sheltered life)
• Riding on Sarah Storey’s wheel from the start until Hammersmith where she stopped for some reason. I had to suck my tummy in when she was being interviewed on TV while riding along.
I rode the rest of the route on and off (they left me on some of the climbs, I caught them on the descents because I’m fat) with two other Pearl Izumi lady riders. We rode tempo c20mph (well it wasn’t a race was it?)
A great day – truly excellent organisation, all marshalls etc were happy and I couldn’t believe how many people were standing in the p*ssing rain on the side of the road cheering us all on. The rain was OK although I’m glad it wasn’t cold as well.
Only negatives were the racing wannabes on full race set ups (but alas not the riding skills to match) and the amount of gel wrappers on the road.
I chanced the ride on my Campag Eurus wheels with Schwalbe Ultremo ZX clinchers – I was the only one of my group not to puncture, although it was a little slippy on some of the descents. Rode round in 4.30ish with no stops, 750ml Torq energy, a Torq energy bar, gel & plenty of rainwater.